I've seen some pierced earrings I like at the second hand store. But I've never bought them because I'm not sure how dangerous it might be to use them. If I boiled them or soaked them in alcohol, or both (not at the same time!) would that make them safe? Now that I've asked this question, I think I might be to weirded out to use them even if everyone says it will be safe!

A piercing/tattoo shop would autoclave them, probably for free if you know them, but at most for $5. Keep in mind that if they're intricate and could have dirt or other crepe lodged down in there, that it could harbor nasties that could survive an autoclave.

And for the record, Hep-C is considerably harder to kill than HIV. It can survive for months in dried blood.

_________________The above has probably offended you. I have found it impossible to post to these forums without offending someone. I have preemptively said 25 hail seitans in the hope that I may appease the ppk gods and not be smote from these boards.

Depending on how they are made, you could possibly remove the backs or hooks and add new ones. I would still clean them with alcohol first. I'd say that's really the only home method I would trust, assume these are from a thrift store or similar, not from a trusted friend or family member.

i would have said soak in 10% bleach overnight, but having just read VegEric's link, i see that some things seem to have changed (or my memory has crapped out) since I learned that. I thought that was the sterilizing needles mixture?? apparently it would degrade many of the metals used in the earrings, though, so it probably wouldn't be great.

Keep in mind that if they're intricate and could have dirt or other crepe lodged down in there, that it could harbor nasties that could survive an autoclave.

And for the record, Hep-C is considerably harder to kill than HIV. It can survive for months in dried blood.

You know, I think I have better thins to do than lie awake worrying about this and it's just not worth bothering with thrift store earrings.

Well, it's all about risk. Could you get something from a used earring? Absolutely. Is it very likely? Probably not? If that's a level of risk you're comfortable with then go for it.

_________________The above has probably offended you. I have found it impossible to post to these forums without offending someone. I have preemptively said 25 hail seitans in the hope that I may appease the ppk gods and not be smote from these boards.

you guys make me feel so reckless. i've bought lots of earrings from secondhand stores and just swabbed them with a little alcohol or peroxide or witch hazel or whatever i had in the cabinet. but i did cringe a little during an episode of 30 rock when liz's boyfriend handed her some earrings that had been left on an airplane and she just put them on without doing anything to them. that seemed dumb, and kind of gross.

_________________"rise from the ashes of douchebaggery like a fancy vegan phoenix" - amandabear"I'm pretty sure the moral of this story is: fork pants." - cq

There's never been a reported case of HIV from a cold needle....I'm going to guess the same is true for earrings.

What's a cold needel? (assuming it is not a reference to temperature)

I think I've read about Hepatitis C transmitted through sterilized hospital equipment....and because I am not a doctor or trained in the medical field in any way, I'd say that if you want to be sure you should at least boil earrings or piercings in water for a while if you want to be sure that it is free from contamination.

You must take them into the mountains, all the way to the Kri'stak Volcano. Thrust them into the river of molten rock, which pours from the summit. Then as they began to burn, plunge them into the lake of Lusor and twist them into a sword... err, I mean, wear them confidently! Knowing that they are completely sterile....

wow, it would never have occurred to me to worry about getting aids from used earrings. hm.

that would also be a very very unlikely scenario, as HIV virus only stays alive for about 60 seconds in contact with air. as for other diseases, i have trouble finding reliable sources as for how long the viruses stay alive in contact with air, but it seems like Hep C can stay alive for about 30 days.. but i wouldn't worry too much about it, just boil then and leave them for a few weeks or a month, then you should be more than good to go!

also, i am definitely in the "don't worry too much about it". i've never even considered that used earrings could be dangerous. if the holes are well healed, there will be no blood contact, and thus, no way of you getting infected.

My lobes are stretched and I've given my old plugs to friends when I upsize and have never thought it was weird. But for some reason the idea of secondhand 'normal' earrings kind of grosses me out. This makes no sense!

Alcohol does nothing. Plus if they are earrings from a second hand store that usually means that the gems or designs themselves are usually glued in and are also made out of either paste or plastic. None of those hold up well in an Autoclave considering and autoclave heats them chamber usually to a minimum of 270 degrees with at least 15 pounds of pressure per square inch. And the only reason you'd autoclave them is after they've gone through and ultrasonic (a machine that uses ultrasonic vibrations to clean tools and the like) which if it's costume jewelry your jewelry could just fall apart in that step.

Personal opinion: You're going to where, whatever you feel like wearing, if you're not a holy geeze germaphobe such as myself just by them and scrub them with some clorax bleach toilet bowl cleaner and a toothbrush (the cleaner is abbrasive and can help with getting caked on little bits) then just rinse with soap and water. If you are a germaphobe, don't put yourself through the hassle of reminding yourself that you're wearing someones old jewelry that they also secreted sebum (its what your oil glands secrete, the milky white residue that stinks that sometimes builds up in piercings, its also why people with stretched ears stink so bad) on to.